Consumers should not assume laboratory tests on cars' fuel consumption and environmental impacts provide an accurate indicator of a vehicle's performance in the real world.
One year into its world-first Real-World Testing Program, the AAA has found some cars tested consumed as much as 31 per cent more fuel in real-world conditions than car makers found in mandatory laboratory tests.
In addition, 21 of the 58 vehicles tested so far produced on-road emissions that exceeded current or upcoming Australian regulatory lab limits for toxic tailpipe emissions.
AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley said: "We can now say with confidence that while some vehicles produce fuel consumption and emissions in line with lab tests reported by carmakers, many do not.
"That can have real impact on consumers and fleet buyers. If people rely on the lab tests, they could end up with a car that costs more to run or is dirtier than they expected.
"The results raise a question for regulators about whether car dealerships should be required to reveal real-world testing results to consumers at point of sale.''
The $14 million, four-year Real-World Testing Program is run by the AAA and funded by the Commonwealth.
It was created in response to the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal, which showed that emissions regulations around the world were incentivising carmakers to optimise their vehicles' fuel consumption and emissions performance for the laboratory tests being used for regulatory compliance.
Mr Bradley said the program, a world first, had now tested enough cars, SUVs, utes, and people movers to enable consumers to examine the results for multiple vehicle models within the same class, which they can use as part of their research before they even visit a car yard.
"If you are buying a small car, for example, we've now tested eight small car models from different manufacturers, giving consumers a chance to understand real-world fuel consumption and emissions before they buy. We also now have multiple vehicle results across a range of vehicle classes, including small, medium and large SUVs, as well as utes.
"Real-World Testing will drive down demand for models that over-promise and under-deliver, while improving affordability for Australians and cleaning up our light vehicle fleet.
"Our program is also providing important data for governments as they place increasing focus on greenwashing and measures to encourage take-up of electric vehicles.''
The latest tranche of test results showed 15 cars across a range of classes consumed as much as seven per cent more fuel than reported in lab testing, while five consumed less fuel on the road than in the lab. (See attached table.)
It also found that although four diesel vehicles recorded real-world fuel consumption rates close to lab test results, all four produced noxious emissions above the mandated lab-test limits.
The full list of test results from 58 vehicles is available at realworld.org.au
The four-year RWT program will test up to 200 cars, SUVs, and utes, including electric vehicles. EV testing protocols are now being developed.
Under Real-World Testing cars are tested on roads in and around Geelong, Victoria under strict test protocols to ensure fuel consumption and emissions results are repeatable and minimise the influence of human factors such as driving style and changing traffic flows. For research purposes, the AAA undertook 23 tests on the Program's reference vehicle (a Toyota RAV4), with fuel consumption across these tests having less than 2.5 per cent variability.
